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Beer of the Week (w/e 15th June 2025) with Bucking Fastard
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Detail Pages
The Mad Bishop & Bear, Paddington, W2
Paddington Station
W2
W2 1HB
Pub Type
Fuller'sReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
Despite passing through Paddington station quite regularly, it's been several years since I was last in the Mad Bishop & Bear. The pub can be found on the upper level of the retail/dining area just off the main station concourse. Run by Fuller's, it is quite spacious with seating spilling out from the pub premises into a communal area of the station. Inside, there is a raised area for dining, which was closed on our Saturday morning visit. Open from 8am, alcohol is only sold with meals until 10am when it becomes freely available. Train departure information boards are available to ensure you don't miss your chain.
Regular cask ales are Fuller's London Pride, ESB & Oliver's Island & Gale's HSB. In addition, they also had Fuller's Spring Sprinter, Dark Star American Pale Ale & Sambrook's Victory. Craft beers included Siren Lumina & Tiny Rebel Rebel IPA. A 15% CAMRA discount is offered, but prices are still steep.
As David has said below, this is a much better option than the Beer House if you find yourself in Paddington station, but I would still much rather walk the extra couple of minutes to the Bear for a much wider range of beers and a much more pubby environment.
On 13th May 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3111 recommendations about 3109 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
David Walton left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
Originally visited on 17/04/2018 but writing review based on another return today!
Not much to note beyond the below, but i do like this as a station pub and there are definitely worse places to wait in Paddington station for wife on a very delayed train into the station! Totally agree with comment about the Beer House at concourse level - why would you wait there rather than here! Usual array of beers on hand pump here as below (Pride, ESB, HSB, Hophead, Oliver's etc) and spotted also had a red ale from Siren and a cider on hand pump.
On 18th April 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 631 recommendations about 631 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
A fairly decent station pub nicely furnished and understandably quite busy given it's location. six cask ales were available across ten pump handles, London Pride, London Porter. Olivers Island, ESB, HSB and Dark Star Hophead, there was one Cider on handpump, Harrys Haymaker. Again an expensive location but luckily the 15% discount on all ales is advertised at the handpumps. Not a place I'd linger in too long but handy for a quick one upon arrival or departure.
On 7th January 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2183 recommendations about 2150 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
The Mad Bishop and Bear is a Fuller’s pub up above the concourse at Paddington Station. Escalators lead up to seating outside the front of the entrance. The noise from the escalators is akin to that of tinnitus. Inside, the bar counter runs along the back wall facing split level seating. The dim lighting allows one to forget they are in a railway station. The aforementioned bar counter supports two banks of five handpumps which were drawing the full Fullers range alongside Dark Star’s Hophead and Rhubarb Rising. Standard and premium keg was also available. I found the service to be polite and during a recent late Friday afternoon visit I found this pub to be hands down better than the beer less Beer House on the concourse.
On 3rd July 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6133 recommendations about 6099 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
As described by others, below, this is a better than average station bar with a good choice of ales albeit I’m not a fan of Fuller’s. London Pride and Oliver’s Island from Fuller’s, plus Dark Star from Hophead in very good condition. There was a dry pump with another Hophead clip on, plus one ‘coming soon’ clip. The usual corporate food is available, but it’s fair enough given that it’s a station bar not a country pub. Beer was expensive though, at £5.45 a pint, but I guess that’s what you pay in London. It’s a good place to catch up with people after work or for a pitstop when travelling through.
On 16th May 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3547 recommendations about 3511 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
A good effort from Fullers to provide a 'watering hole' slightly removed by two escalator flights from the hustle and bustle of Paddington's cocourse. The decor is a reasonable combination of traditional and modern, and the frontage has recently been refreshed with more railway-like signage. Feature a variety of seating / dining areas and also has a few tables 'outside' in the atrium. Two banks of five handpumps, offering Pride, Oliver's Island, HSB, ESB, the seasonal Snow Globe and Hophead plus Tribute, Bath Ales Gem and Snakecharmer IPA from One Mile End as guests on this visit.
On 15th December 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8733 recommendations about 8733 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
A difficult one to spot this pub, when standing on the station concourse looking around in bewilderment. After some directions, you enter the front area of the station building and take an escalator up the pub. Once through the doors, you find a large heavily embellished bar along the back wall, with the full range of Fullers beers. My Pride was superb and a good start before getting the train to Oxford for the summer PG crawl.
On 31st July 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3684 recommendations about 3684 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
A single room station bar with quite grand decor on the second floor of Paddington station. Owned by Fullers with two sets of four pulls serving Fullers plus guests. Obviously it gets quite busy at times but the staff seem to cope well. The beer is pretty good and it's GBG listed.
On 12th June 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3648 recommendations about 3327 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
Located on the top level of Paddington station, from the outside this looks very much like your typical non-descript modern airport or train station retail unit. Once inside though, it has a much more traditional ambience and is actually not too bad at all. From many angles you’d have no idea that you were in a station pub, and even the departure boards are tucked discreetly away near the entrance.
The large central area of the pub has a largely wood strip floor with chequered tiles approaching the bar and a white plastered ceiling with some inlaid ornate plasterwork finished in gold. Several supporting pillars are faced with etched mirrors and there is further carved woodwork behind the bar counter. A smaller area up a few steps to the left was separated with some wooden balustrade and this had a cosier feel with a carpeted floor, a few booths along one side and some black and white photographs on the walls. A number of food options were chalked up on a menu at the end of the bar although we did not investigate this.
There was a good choice of beers on tap, albeit all from the Fullers stable, and on this occasion consisted of Chiswick, London Pride, ESB, Wild River, Bengal Lancer, Fire Cracker and Oliver’s Island. A coming soon board listed Tribute, so presumably Fullers don’t always have a monopoly. The solitary cider was Cornish Orchards. All in all I was pleasantly surprised by this, and it’s certainly a decent enough place to while away the time whilst waiting for your train.
On 1st December 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2069 recommendations about 1970 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Mad Bishop & Bear
This is a Fuller's pub with the usual range on, plus several guests. It's very much a station pub, although better than most, with all tall tables/tall stools at the front, with some normal tables and chairs down at the back. It's a bit of a lifesaver when in need of a breakfast, which turned out to be better quality than a 'spoons, but at twice the price. In most respects it seems like an upmarket 'spoons, which is not a bad thing. I guess I'll end up in here again sometime, as it's so handily placed for those travelling from Paddington.
On 17th November 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]